


let the sun burn my eyes

by windychimes



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-07
Updated: 2013-05-07
Packaged: 2017-12-10 18:10:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/788635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windychimes/pseuds/windychimes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He doesn’t know how many more days he has left like this; days of resting in the sun, days of quiet and almost sunsets and heat so warm it makes him sleepy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let the sun burn my eyes

**Author's Note:**

> For days I miss and days I will no longer have.

The sun hasn’t set, not quite yet, but Chihiro can feel it in his bones. Ten, twenty, thirty minutes and it’ll have sunk below the horizon and the sky will be awash with color. He should have been home a long time ago, he knows, but he’s been resting in the shade of the tree for so long that he can’t seem to care. It’s a warm day, almost summer, hot enough for his skin to prickle with sweat beneath his school uniform but not hot enough for him to take his jacket off. He can’t remember the last time he had a day like this. Beside Chihiro, Mondo grumbles in his sleep, his jacket used as a pillow and an arm thrown over his eyes. Chihiro’s close enough that if he rolled over he could curl up against Mondo's arm but instead he just settles for just dreaming.

“Oowada-kun.” Ishimaru’s voice is soft, the late afternoon warmth having drained his usual fiery conviction. It’s far away, like a dream, and just the sound of it makes Chihiro feel dizzy. Everything is soft and fuzzy and it’s beautiful. “Oowada-kun, you haven’t finished studying.”

Their books lay scattered around them, opened and filled with pieces of scratch paper and notebooks. Chihiro finished his studying long ago, Mondo’s barely started, and Ishimaru studies material so far ahead it won’t come up until next year.

 _Next year_. Something about the word makes Chihiro’s heart jump up in throat and his stomach tie in knots. Next year brings uncertainty; classes change and teachers change and friendships change. He doesn’t know how many more days he has left like this; days of resting in the sun, days of quiet and almost sunsets and heat so warm it makes his sleepy. He’ll go off to college, and Ishimaru will too, and Mondo might not at all. It’s all far far away but Chihiro can’t get the thought out of his head. His breathing is too quick and too slow all at once and he grabs Mondo by the hand to steady himself before he can think better of it.

There’s a stillness in the air and in their breathes and for a long moment the world is quiet. But Mondo stretches his fingers, squeezes his hand back; he tries to say something, stops, and tries again.

“Everything alright there, kid?”

Chihiro’s face is hot and it’s not because of the heat. He’s dizzy all over again and more than ever he doesn’t want this day to end, doesn’t want this _moment_ to end. His mouth is dry and it takes him a few seconds to speak. “Yeah,” he says, and his voice is so soft he can barely hear it. “Yeah, it’s alright.”

Mondo makes a noncommittal noise and doesn’t let go off his hand. There’s a harshly whispered _improper_ but it’s barely a second later before Ishimaru’s hand covers both of theirs. Ishimaru’s hand isn’t as big as Mondo’s but it’s twice as warm and with it comes the silent knowledge of _this never happened_ because this, them--it can never happen, never be spoken of again because of things that are complicated and things that don’t matter. Things like boys in skirts and boys on bikes and boys who never feel good enough. Things that shouldn’t matter but they do.

Ten, twenty, thirty minutes--the sun is set and Chihiro was late home a long time ago. But today is a day he doesn’t want to end yet and today is a day he won’t get again and today is a day he’ll hold onto, tooth and nail, until the sun is far below the horizon and it’ll almost be too late to go home at all.

Chihiro will have more days like this, maybe, he knows; but today, but this moment is something that won’t happen again, can’t happen again, shouldn’t happen again. So he’ll savor it, and hold it close, and never let it go.


End file.
